Resume format guide
How to Format a Resume for the UK
In the UK the document is a CV — 'resume' is understood but rarely used — and the conventions are specific. The norm is two pages, reverse-chronological, with a short personal statement at the top instead of a summary. British spelling throughout and dates written 'September 2026' or DD/MM/YYYY.
Personal detail conventions are distinctly British: including a photo is unusual and discouraged, but candidates commonly list a location (town or city), and 'References available on request' remains an accepted closing line. Nationality and right-to-work status are worth stating only when relevant to the role.
Public sector and large corporate hiring is formal and keyword-driven, while SME hiring is faster and more personal. The same CV should therefore be complete and conventional — you can be flexible in the covering letter, which UK employers still read carefully.
This page covers the format rules; the role guides linked below cover sector-specific expectations such as NHS banding and Civil Service behaviours.
Length and structure
Two pages is the norm and the expectation; one page is acceptable for school leavers and early careers. UK CVs conventionally open with a two-to-four-line personal statement written in the third person or first person, followed by key skills, employment history, and education with A-levels and grades.
Education carries more weight in UK CVs than in most markets — degree classification (2:1, First) and A-level results are listed explicitly. Include secondary school results while they are recent; drop them once your degree and career outweigh them.
Personal details: what to include and what to leave off
Include name, phone, email, LinkedIn, and a town or city ('London', 'Manchester'). Photos are not customary and most guidance advises against them. National Insurance numbers, date of birth, and marital status are not included.
Where a role requires security clearance or a driving licence, say so explicitly in the skills or personal details line — 'Full UK driving licence', 'SC cleared'. These are hard requirements in UK screening and belong on the first page.
Date formats and spelling
Month-level dates in 'Month YYYY' form ('Jun 2023 – Present') are the cleanest convention; DD/MM/YYYY is understood. Be consistent across every entry.
Use British spelling: organise, specialise, colour, programme (except computer programs). Job titles, qualifications, and awarding bodies are abbreviated in ways recruiters expect — 'BSc (Hons)', 'MSc', 'ACA', 'CIPD Level 5'.
References
'References available on request' remains a standard, accepted closing line in the UK. Bring a full reference list to interview; two referees, one of them your most recent manager, is the norm.
Key takeaways
Two pages is the norm; one page for early careers
Personal statement at the top, not a summary block
Degree classification and A-levels listed explicitly
No photo; town/city location is standard
British spelling and 'Month YYYY' dates throughout
the UK resume examples
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